Tijuana Caesar Salad
The Tijuana Caesar salad is a classic dish made with romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, crunchy croutons and a light and creamy dressing.
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board or molcajete (mortar and pestle)
- Medium bowl (glass, wooden, or plastic will work)
- Whisk
- Large bowl or container big enough to mix whole romaine lettuce leaves
- Large wooden spatulas or tongs
- Serving platter
Ingredients
- 3 heads of romaine lettuce about 30 leaves
- 2 ounces anchovies in olive oil or 2 tablespoons anchovy paste
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard whole grain, coarse ground, or creamy will work
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice from about 1-2 limes
- 1 Nellie’s Free Range Egg yolk only (see notes)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnishing
GARNISHES
- Black pepper freshly ground
- Parmesan cheese grated or shaved
- Baguette sliced and rubbed with garlic and baked until crisp, about 10 minutes
Instructions
- Clean the romaine lettuce leaves and keep them crisp in the refrigerator while you prepare the salad dressing.
- If using whole anchovies, reserve the olive oil and mince the anchovies or using a molcajete, grind them with the olive oil until they form a thick paste. Add anchovies to a medium bowl and whisk together with garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, and egg yolk.
- Slowly add a steady stream of olive oil while continuing to whisk ingredients, until everything is well blended.
- Transfer dressing into a larger bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. Add whole romaine lettuce leaves to the bowl and using tongs, gently toss them in the dressing until each leaf is well-coated.
- Serve on a platter and top with freshly ground black pepper, additional parmesan cheese, and crispy baguettes.
A Note from Lola
Working with raw eggs: The reason I love this salad is because of its simplicity and while the ingredients required to make it are pretty straightforward, no single flavor should stand out. Because this recipe calls for a raw egg yolk, which helps emulsify the dressing and gives it a rich flavor, it’s important to use the highest quality eggs; preferably from free range hens that spend their days on pasture. Using anchovies, Nellie’s Free Range Eggs, fresh lime (not a lemon!) juice, olive oil, and a few other ingredients, you can prepare the best homemade Caesar salad this side of the border.
Pick the right salad bowl or platter: It’s quite an experience to see the elegantly dressed servers prepare a Caesar salad tableside in Tijuana and after making it at home, I realized the importance of the huge wooden bowl they use. First, it serves as the mixing bowl where all of the ingredients are minced, chopped, and mixed, before tossing in the lettuce leaves to coat them with the dressing.
Properly dress the salad: I tried drizzling the salad dressing over the lettuce and it just doesn’t work. A large bowl, with the salad dressing already in it, is essential in order to properly coat each leaf. If you’re like me and don’t have an enormous wooden bowl, you can make the dressing in a regular bowl with a whisk, and then add it to the largest container or bowl that you have when it’s time to dress your lettuce.
A NOTE FROM NELLIE’S FREE RANGE EGGS: "Nellie’s Free Range Eggs are not pasteurized, so we cannot recommend that they be eaten raw. To safely pasteurize your eggs at home simply place the eggs in a pot of water and heat on the stovetop until the water reaches 140F. Heat the eggs submerged in water at 140F, and no higher than 142F, for 3 minutes before removing from the hot water and rinsing with cold water."
Nutrition
Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 9gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 990mgPotassium: 271mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1930IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 2mg
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